To The Ends of the Earth
by June Gadsby
Gwyneth Johns shocks the sober churchgoing folk of Puerto Daffyd, a Welsh pioneering town
in Patagonia. She killed her father after he raped her and now she lives wild and free,
the life of a gaucho. Her only friend is old Blodwen Evans, and when the old lady sends
a letter calling her family to follow her and settle in Patagonia she sets a chain of events
in motion that nobody could have foreseen. The only member of Blodwen's family who arrives
is the ne'er-do-well Matt Riley with his terrified new wife Dora. Accompanying them is the
hardworking Rob, a friend of Matt's since childhood. and his younger brother Davy. It is
going to be Gwyneth's task to show them how to ride and become gauchos themselves - but this
is perhaps the least of her problems.
Novels about Welsh pioneers in Patagonia aren't exactly thick on the ground, so top marks
to this author for writing about something new and unusual. From the saga-style background
of Matt and his companions' North Eastern home to the windswept, bleak wastes of southern
Argentina, this novel combines gritty realism with escapist geography in an appealing way.
It is ostensibly a romance, but there is a lot more in here; adventure, murder, history and
just plain old human interest. Gwyneth makes a bold but womanly heroine, and the villain's
descent from casual selfishness into outright criminality is chillingly gripping. If, like
me, you like your romances spiced with the fresh air of originality and realism then you
will probably like this. |
The Book |
Robert Hale |
31 December 2005 |
Hardback |
0709079869 |
Historical Romance [1900 Patagonia] |
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Excerpt |
NOTE: |
The Reviewer |
Rachel A Hyde |
Reviewed 2006 |
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